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MY METHOD OF INSTALLING GRIPS... WITHOUT GLUE...AND GETTING THEM TO STAY PUT.

mountainhorse

mountainhorse

Well-known member
Lifetime Membership
Premium Member
Here's my method and I have not had any issues...might be controversial for the glue users. :boxing:

AGAIN... This is MY method and there are plenty of others with different points of view and successful results.

ANY rubber grip has this release compound residue on it.

I wash new rubber grips inside/out very well with auto body wax/grease/silicone remover and then rinse them with a good detergent like simple green and then plenty of hot water. let them dry over night.... I do this to the spare sets that I keep on the ready and keep those in a zip lock bag to keep any dust or dirt off.

I then wipe the handlebars and grips with the same wax/grease/silicone remover and then a quick wipe of acetone to remove any remaining residue... using a super clean, lint free rag (i use old refugee linen cloth napkins). Let it sit for half an hour.

Don't touch it again with your bare hands (or anything oily for that matter)

After that is done.. I use low pressure compressed air nozzle to carefully walk the grip onto the bar with NO adhesive, hairspray etc... and leave it there... they don't walk/move on me...

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have a compressor with no water/oil remover... this may cause more problems.... if you don't have a good oil/moisture trap on the compressor...buy a cheap plastic inline oil/water trap from an auto store or good body shop supply (photo below) . ... when you are finished with it... keep it in a zip lock bag. Make sure that you drain the compressor tank and make sure you don't have water coming out... moist air is he!! on your air tools as well. If you have an inline oiler...tap into the air before the oiler... This is a big problem when using compressed air if the air itself is contaminating the rubber.

I'm a fan of the Motorguard brand of inline disposable filters. (less than $4 each... buy a few of them.) I have a good wall mounted separator and I still use the inline/disposables.

It is also important that that bars and grips are warm (indoors is best)

Often times adhesives warm up an cause more problems... which is why the RSI stuff is a two part hardening adhesive.

BUT... the big enemies, even if you use glue or safety wire are residue (like oil from your hands) and mold release wax/compound inside the grip from production.

The RSI/ODI grips which are my favorites, should be looked at as an expendable "tool" to hold onto your sled... you should count on replacing ANY good grip at least once during the season if not more ( I go through 3 sets on average).... the stock Polaris grips... last about half the season before they get slick.... I like the RSI grips the best.

ALSO... clean the bars VERY carefully before putting on the grip heaters. If the heaters are not stuck well...neither will the grips.
On the extended heaters... the extension "T" goes on from the bottom of the hook, not over the top.

Safety wire is great IF you know how to do it AND when you "tuck the tail" of the twist back inside the grip, you do not scratch the heater.
But with this method described above... you won't need it.

My 2 cents...:becky:


HAF-507-K12.jpg-60a6d1183082e02a669108b240b983dfbb1879aeimage.jpg


All the details that I posted above are thrown out the window if you over-inflate the grip and balloon it out... they just wont hold when they are stretched that much... in that case where you overinflated and stretched it out.... you would have to use glue to get it to stay put.


:faint::faint::faint::faint::faint::faint::faint:










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Last edited:
great suggestions Eric..I do it a little different..but same results..I use brakleen to clean everything up(on a soft rag and wipe quick because it can bite the glue holding the heaters on..then a quick spray on the bars and in the grips and smoothly push them on...once dry(5-10 minutes) they are good to go...
 
I've done that too... but found the brakeclean a bit agressive on the rubber grips and had them get crusty before their time.

Removing the mold release agent inside the grip, IMO, is the biggest part of a successful install.

If you use brakeclean on the parts.. as Mike said... be quick about it.
 
I've got big hands so I like a set of grips over the factory ones. All parts must be clean and ready. With the stock diameter grips my hands would start to cramp up in the palms if I was hanging on too tight.

I like these for absorbing a bunch of the small vibrations. They also have plenty of grip if I am hanging off the side of the sled I don't have to squeeze as hard to hang on, which also relieves some of the palm cramping. I cut the flared end off at the wire tie groove.
 
I have enough riser on my bars that the grips are above the protection of the windshield. If you are blasting down the trail with a lot of wind to chill out the grips, they will cool off if you wipe your goggles or something. Grab back on and it might take a minute or so to warm back up. It is definitely a trade-off, but I will take the extra lateral grip traction and the larger vibration absorbing grip over a little temporary heat loss. It did work better on my Edge since it had steel bars. The Pro-Taper bars on my IQ don't hold heat very well anyway. That issue would need to be addressed if you are relying on the bar heaters to keep the "widdle" fingers warm.
 
Isopropyl Alcohol is what was recommended in the aftermarket grip package I bought from ski-doo about 10 years ago.

Clean bars with it and then pour a good shot into the grip, swish it all around, dump and install the grip right away. I used the sled a few more years and the grips were solid.
 
Sounds like a good method! Nice and clean...

If you're too busted to have a compressor on hand (like me)....I've had good luck over the years with spray paint. Clean everything up good, give it a light spray on the bars and slide them on. I like this more than glue, cause you can usually get them off again without cutting if you have to. Dries quickly as well. Also, I'm cheap and there's always leftover spray paint laying around. Used that on mountain bikes, dirtbike, sled over the years.
 
I must still be of the old school variety.. Since the '80s at every dealership or customer unit I have serviced no matter if it was a sled, atv or bike that needed grip replacement I have used carb cleaner. Spray the bar and wipe any crap off of it with a shop towel (not grease rag), dried the bar with a heat gun, spray the inside of the grip and wiped it all clean with a towel. Spray the grip again inside with carb cleaner and expand it with compressed air and a blow nozzle to work the grip on the bar. Once seated on the bar, warmed it with a heat gun. Never had a come back from one coming loose, prematurely cracking, weathering, grip warmer issues etc..

~Gimpster~
 
A tip I got on here to help with the cold widdle fingers is to fill the inside of your bars with the spray expanding foam. It helps keep the heat in. Just don't use very much or you'll be there for half an hour as more foam pours out from the end of your bars.
 
Bump for that time of year.

The foam will help, maybe, a little... but a thin cork layer between the grip heater and the bars... like the one that ski doo installs on stock sleds with Aluminum bars.... is the best way to get the bar heaters to work the best.

Easy/Cheap at $7.50 for the pair.
http://www.gobigparts.com/SPI-HANDLEBAR-HEATER-INSULATORS.html
40-4167.jpg


UNIVERSAL DESIGN

HELPS RETAIN AND TRANSFER HEAT TO YOUR GRIPS

A MUST OF ALUMINUM BARS

SOLD IN PAIRS
Click to expand...



.
 
Last edited:
Good info on this post. The rsi grips I have are 8" long do you just cut them to the correct length?
 
volcano buster said:
I've got big hands so I like a set of grips over the factory ones. All parts must be clean and ready. With the stock diameter grips my hands would start to cramp up in the palms if I was hanging on too tight.

I like these for absorbing a bunch of the small vibrations. They also have plenty of grip if I am hanging off the side of the sled I don't have to squeeze as hard to hang on, which also relieves some of the palm cramping. I cut the flared end off at the wire tie groove.
Click to expand...

I loved those grips but my RSI hand warmers on high made them soft! The result was the grip stretching and becoming loose and warped.
 
mountainhorse said:
Bump for that time of year.

The foam will help, maybe, a little... but a thin cork layer between the grip heater and the bars... like the one that ski doo installs on stock sleds with Aluminum bars.... is the best way to get the bar heaters to work the best.

Easy/Cheap at $7.50 for the pair.
http://www.gobigparts.com/SPI-HANDLEBAR-HEATER-INSULATORS.html
40-4167.jpg






.
Click to expand...


Make sure when checking out to select the USPS Super Saver Shipping. These are the only way these ship anyway and will save you a few bucks. Even at there depending on where they go in a padded envelope we get charged between $6-8. Whats up with shipping costs lately?
 
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